Just curious on how much % you get back on what you give to churches and non profit organizations and how much you get back % in mortgage intest?

Thanks

So my pastor just started his ministry a couple of months ago. And well he started this business selling slim fit body suits that compress your skin and make you look skinnier, and energy drinks that are designed to help you lose weight…

The lady who sold him the material told him she was a prophet of God, and that her husband was an apostle. She said she had 19 churches in Jamaica and 2 in America (She lives in the states)

Some things that should be noted

a) The lady travelled 2000 miles… to sell a 0 product to 15 people… If she is that poor where would she get the money to fly a plane to Jamaica every single year?

b) She lives in the states, so why would she have more churches in Jamaica then she does in America?

c) She said herself she cannot afford the mortgage on her house and yet she goes to Jamaica all the time?

d) She "prophesied" to my pastor that God would make him a millionaire through this business she was getting him involved in…

I asked my pastor "how do you know she is a real pastor?" and then my pastor said "NO!!! You take people at their word. No one has anything other than their word."

What do you think?

I’ve always wondered what the point of multimillion dollar mega churches is. Is it for the members to have their own pool with like minded individuals? To play basketball with like minded individuals, to get overpriced coffee that is not from Starbucks? Hold fundraisers? Is there an extremely legitimate reason why they pump millions into a flashy church while members are starving or losing their jobs? The money they are making off their cafes n paid "sports programs" are just going to pay the mortgage….how is that helping people in need…. Anyone go to one care to share information?

How are mega churches able to build the huge church and pay their mortgage/rent? Churches are not government funded and I don’t see how the small donations every church meeting cutting fill the bill. Im talking about these mega churches the size of walmarts

I am in the process of getting evicted. I owe my apartment complex 70.00. I have two kids and I have no idea what to do. I have no family here and my credit is not all that great. I went to my church and they have no money. I have called other churches and United Way. Does anybody know of a company that would at least loan me 00.00 with in the next 48 hours.
YOU PEOPLE ARE SO EVIL YOU DONT EVEN KNOW MY SITUATION! BEFORE YOU EVEN START TO JUDGE ME MY SITUATION IS NOT BECAUSE I DONT WORK CAUSE I DO. I HAVE A JOB PAYING 14.00/HR MY YOUNGEST DAUGHTER(WHICH IS 3) IS SEVERLY ASTHMATIC AND IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS SHE HAS HAD 7 ASTHMA ATTACKS. CONSIDERING THAT I PUT MY KIDS BEFORE ANYTHING AND ANYONE I HAD TO TAKE OFF OF WORK STAY BY MY DAUGHTERS BEDSIDE. AND AS FAR AS FAMILY I DONT KNOW MY FATHER AND MY MOTHER IS DEAD! PLEASE DONT YOU DARE JUDGE ME!!!!!!!!!!!

Here in California more and more Russian immigrants arrive every day. Personally, I don’t care if they’re Africans, Mexicans or of any other national origin. But I discovered that these immigrants are receiving FREE MONEY from our social security. It’s not just for a little while either; it’s as long as they remain immigrants! And if that isn’t bad enough there are programs to help them, churches that support them and they receive 1% interest loans from anything ranging to opening up a business to buying a house. With the money they make they rarely have to work. This is unacceptable to people who have to work for a living, including other immigrants who come here and bust their butt to live here. And this is ONLY for Russians! Why is this going on and why don’t people do anything about it??

hey my name is alfred johnson i’m 20 years old and i stay with my wife in an apartment down in nashville,tennssee, we live in an apartment complex called glastonbury. we have been here for about 3 weeks now job searching, walking in the heat because we don’t have any car. my wife got a job but she don’t start until thursday and she doesn’t make enough for the rent that will be late after aug 5. we need help bad or we will soon be evicted and put out on the street. we both do not have good credit and we are in need. we have tried the churches and everything but they need proof of income. please by the grace of god can someone help us.

I was wondering if volunteered with a charity if they could help me pay a bill that tripled in size due to a tech having to fix my phone/internet line. It will be shut off soon. I believe strongly in a cooperative society where people help meet others needs and in turn get their own needs meet. I called Salvation Army; which apperently is a church which does not believe in helping those who volunteer. I have a job and work from home so I need to keep my services. I have applied at other part time jobs yet my need is more immediate. December 26 is the deadline. Any suggestions? I will try anything legtimate. I have called 6 local charities, 5 churches, temp agencies, tried to get a loan and called my family. My mom gave me some money, dad helped pay eletrcity. My normal phone/internet bill is only and now is almost 400.

Is it not just a good to contribute to specific causes that promote Christianity?

Last year I gave some to the Churches regular budget, but gave as much or more specifically to pay back a loan on a building project (because I don’t like a church to carry a debt) and to GAP ministries which builds churches and clinics in Mexico (because I feel my money does more in mexico, and have personally seen that this program wastes little money)
I ask partially because I was advised by a friend that that was undermining the local church – with which I disagree.

I read something recently on the Christian Science Monitor’s web site about how some pastors in different cities,towns,and states who pastored Word of Faith movement churches also held secular jobs as loan officers and helped some members of their churches successfully apply for new home loans and get them when the people really didn’t have the financial ability to pay those loans,or,even have the ability to buy or even rent a new home.

This editorial opinion was titled the same as my question,and,the writer also wrote that some people at this one pastor’s Word of Faith church in Virginia testified how God helped them financially as far as getting a home loan was concerned,but,the writer also found out that the pastor’s secular job was as a full time loan officer for either a local bank or a real estate agency,I don’t remember which it was.

Is it possible that this man and others like him did something illegal?

My fiancee is a US Army Ranger and his deployment date just recently got moved up. As it was, we were already strugglin for a way for me to be able to go up to see him since at the last minute they told us he would not be able to come say his goodbyes. This could not have come at a worse time, and we’ve tried loans, charities, churches, but NOTHING! Airline employees have been willing to help but the ones that are willing do not fly out of our hometown. CAN ANYONE HELP?!?!? The departure is from El Paso, TX and the destination is Syracuse, NY. PLEASE!

It’s happening in Michigan. So many people are unemployed and thus unable to contribute financially to their places of worship. Some churches cannot pay the mortgages or payroll and have to close the doors. Other churches find themselves struggling to get by and have had to cut back on community outreach programs.

What is significant about this is there is an entire population in Michigan who depend on churches and other nonprofits to provide food and financial assistance to supplement their incomes or their welfare payments. The food banks don’t have enough to go around, even the ones that are not faith-based. Many charities used to pay heat and electric bills for struggling families, but they can’t do that anymore either. The result is more hopelessness, more desperation, and more crime.

Is this happening anywhere else?

I worked for a Chruch/daycare. I loaned them ,500 (in Aug2008) the loan went in the churches name. I was suppose to get 0 a pay period starting in Sept. 2008. This was an interest free loan!!! It has now been like 7-8months now I have only recieved 0. Well last month they shut the daycare and church down! I am now laid off. The only reason i got some of it was because my dog was very sick and i had nothing to pay the bill with and I had to beg for it. Every time i would ask i would be told next pay day. I was told at the beg of march i should have started to get paid at the end march. Well it is the begining of April and nothing! The pastor told me that he would pay me back still. Since he was suppose to financially back the church til it got on it feet! Do i have the right to sue.
the business failed cause of him and his wife. She had no business sense and he wouldnt speak up about it. Yes i know this is a church blah blah blah. BUT i have done way more than that for them but i need my money now more than ever. I worked lots of over time hours and never got paid for them! I did lots off the clock.sometime 15 hours a week. Was promised lots raises and never got them. Took the director postion without getting a pay raise I was getting half of the average pay for someone with my job. Suppose to have a work/personal cell phone It was always getting shut off I couldnt relay on it. All i asked was for them tell me if it is going to get shut off so i could plan for it since it was my only phone!! ( i had my own before they just told me it made no sense to pay for it so i switched to theirs). I was def. taken advantage of but all i am asking for is my money. The rest of it i dont care about. I am not sure about the ethical stuff for sueing a church or if i can get away with sueing the pastor and his wife since the church folded. I dont want to be the person to sue anyone but i feel like i 1 need to show them what they did was wrong and 2 they wont give me what is mine unless someone makes them.

* the loan was mainly for them because they were supporting the daycare and had no money for their bills either. But the pastor wanted to make it a business loan* PLUS money was taken out the following day for a "business conference" where there son lived paid for their hotel stay and meals. no reciepts were given. (Ohh i know cause i did the fiancially paper work for the daycare at the time but stepped down for disagreement in budgeting and process. )This was a very samll chruch the pastor started it. Okay sorry so long but i just dont know what to do! Any advice would be greatly appretiated!!!
The check i wrote to them that they cashed was written to the chruch said loan on it and i have the canceled check. but other than that there is no agreement in writing it was all verbal.

Can a religious corporation provide insurance to all of its churches under its control? For instance, if the church’s headquarters is located in New York and it owns or provides loans on physical structures across the USA, can the corporation receive insurance payments from those individual churches? Headquarters will send invoices for payment and the individual church congregations will pay the bill. In case of a catastrophic loss, headquarters will pay for the loss.

But my question is, can an non-profit entity avoid the paying of taxes with such a format?

My fiancee is a US Army Ranger and his deployment date just recently got moved up. As it was, we were already strugglin for a way for me to be able to go up to see him since at the last minute they told us he would not be able to come say his goodbyes. This could not have come at a worse time, and we’ve tried loans, charities, churches, but NOTHING! Airline employees have been willing to help but the ones that are willing do not fly out of our hometown. CAN ANYONE HELP?!?!? The departure is from El Paso, TX and the destination is Syracuse, NY. PLEASE!

a. tax exemptions for churches and other religious buildings

b. loan of science textbooks to a parochial school

c. display of a Christmas tree and a menorah on private property

d. the practice of polygamy based on the beliefs of one’s religion

Just listening to a sermon on giving. I do think that when you tell people they need to give and should go away and pray what they should give.

Does God really tell people to give money away. Why cant these churches just get a loan and pay it out of their weekly offering.

One statement the pastor said was they would like to be debt free, is that fair given that most people have mortgages. Yet the pastor wants the organisation to be fully paid for by people.

I love that the catholic church never asks for your money. Its a bit risky that these pastors depend on how they "feel" to guide a whole group of people
Why are the people told to trust god if they give all ther money away god will take care of them.

Yet the same doesnt apply to the chruch because God doesnt take care of them, they have to manipulate people to get their money.
The Tithe is a OLD TESTEMENT stucture. in the NEW TESTEMENT its just about giving what your happy with.

When the Church elders go to a Bank for a Mortgage don’t they have to show the Bank that they are Credit Worthy?

Don’t Churches buy Supplies ect. and when they don’t pay they don’t get anything?

Don’t Churches employ people, even self-employ?

Doesn’t a Church have to pay unemployment tax?

Doesn’t a Church provide a Service ? Do they take money for them? They get Paid by Donations…, OK…so:

So does a Waitress, and she has to declare that on her Taxes, doesn’t she?

So why are Churches exempt from Taxes?

Where I’m getting at is the following:

I see religion as a Addiction. It’s very hard to quit once you’re in it. Churches target Children for their SPECIFIC BRAND of religion.

I see this as a parallel to the Tactics used to deal the Tobacco Industry.

Tax the Tar out of them and make them Pay damages for what they have done to the Public.

Pretty soon Churches would be only for the ones that can afford them.

Also it would curb Child & Juvenile Membership, so that they can make their own decisions once they are MATURE enough to understand what they are doing !

I don’t say outlaw Churches, just treat them for what they REALLY are !
Man i feel like saying:

******TORPEDOES AWAY********!!!!
Is that why some Churches grow into MEGA CHURCHES that hold THOUSANDS of People?
Build it and they will come, sorta like a Mall?

We are about ready to lose our house! My dad is retired and not working, we have bills we cannot pay. The Salvation army and other churches/organizations are unable to help at this time due to limited funding. and we have bills that we cannot pay. We can’t even get a loan due to a negative bank acct balance. about ready to commit suicide over this. How can we get help?

I am very worried about my bi-polar friend. She’s been hospitalized twice in the last 5 months. She doesn’t have family that can help her out. She can’t hold down a job because she’s agoraphobic (afraid to leave her home). I got her to on Social Security Disability so she wouldn’t lose the home she bought before she "lost her mind". I have control of her bank account and have all her bills and mortgage statement sent to me, so that I can make sure they get paid. The problem is, after her mortgage and common charges are paid, there is hardly anything left for utilites, food and other living expenses. I tried to get her to apply for welfare and food stamps, but she was declined because she owns property and because of the amount of money she gets from Social Security. Sometimes, I add money into her account to cover her bills – but I really can’t afford to keep doing this. She still needs more money. What can I do? I’ve called churches, but they said "we do not give hand outs!"
Not enough room to give all the details above. The problem with her, is most of the time, she just can’t function. Once in a while, she has a good day and seems like a normal person, but it’s really rare. I do have her hooked up with a local mental facility that she goes to once a month to get her medication, and I got her on Medicaid, but I don’t know what to do with her other living expenses. She REFUSES to sell her home! She goes into a rage when I bring it up and starts crying because she says it’s the only place she feels safe. So, until she recovers (or IF she recovers) I think it’s for the best to keep her in the home she loves so much. She lives in CONNECTICUT. I hooked her up with a charity there called Person to person for cloths and food – but because she’s single, the amount of food they give her isn’t enough to last the entire month. I hooked her up with help for heat – but that’s only for the winter – what can I do with her utilities for the rest of the year?
The reason I am doing this is because she has no family and can’t do all this by herself. If I didn’t do all this – she’s be homeless. I have exhaused every source of help that is out there in Connecticut that I can think of – is there anyone out there that can help me think of ways to get her money to cover utilities, toilet paper, tampons, toothpaste, shampoo and food? Again, the food bank doesn’t supply enough food for the entire month, and they don’t provide toilet paper, shampoo and other basic hygene products. PLEASE – I need ideas, suggestions.

I’m not a relative so I can’t go to the courts – and I’ve tried to talk with her social worker at the mental health crisis center – but the won’t talk with me for confidentiality reasons. I’m all out of ideas! I don’t have "power or atty" – she just handed over her bank account to me because she "can’t deal with it". Her other friends aren’t financially able to help – and I can’t afford to subsidize her leftover expenses. HELP!
Guys, please be nice. This woman is NOT a dead beat. She’s very sick. She’s struggled with her illness for a long time and was an executive assistant for 17 years. She used to work 12-16 hours a day for years in an extremely high pressured envoinment before she had her breakdown. I think the long hours she used to work, plus losing her jobs at corporations that had financial problems is partly to blame with her breakdown. That’s how she was able to buy a home – back when she was working. But all her all of her savings and 401K went as a down payment on her home – so there are no savings left – its completely dried up. Remember – some people with her illness/disabilty NEVER work – she did for almost 2 decades. Cut her some slack. This could happen to anyone, even you and would you want people to be unsympathtic to you if you got sick and couldn’t work anymore? Be humane please.
Re: "Does she have a drinking problem?" Technically, she did. Since I took over her bank account – I took away her debit card and placed a password on her account so she could not order a new one behind my back. I did this so she wouldn’t blow her Social Security check on alcohol and other worthless things to guarantee that her mortgage and maintenance charges are paid each month. I’ve reviewed her account for the last year – and the only transactions are the ones I’ve made online for her bills. Since there’s nothing left after paying for the roof over her head – there’s ABSOLUTELY no money for alcohol. There isn’t even money for groceries and the electric bill – I’ll be darned if I’m going to give her money for whiskey and cigarettes. Food is a necessity. Alcohol is not. To the best of my knowledge she hasn’t had a drink since I’ve taken over her account – even if it’s only because she doesn’t have the money to abuse alcohol anymore. That’s the back story for her and alcohol
Sun, thank you for your suggestion. The utilties are a scaled down as the can get: cable is included with common charges – so that can’t be eliminated. No internet for her anymore, but I have to keep her phone connected so she can call me if there’s a crisis or so she can call 911 or the mental health center if she’s having a crisis. But no extra features like Caller ID. Just a dial tone. Not even long distance.

NikkisMo: No, I didn’t call the govnm’t center because I didn’t even think of it. Now that you mentioned it – I will do that TODAY. Thank you for thinking of something I didn’t think of! You guys are great. I knew Yahoo! Answers would be helpful. I know I haven’t thought of everything I could do – and that’s why I came here. Thank you again for all your sugesstions, Please – keep them coming.
Sun, thank you for your suggestion. The utilties are a scaled down as the can get: cable is included with common charges – so that can’t be eliminated. No internet for her anymore, but I have to keep her phone connected so she can call me if there’s a crisis or so she can call 911 or the mental health center if she’s having a crisis. But no extra features like Caller ID. Just a dial tone. Not even long distance.

NikkisMo: No, I didn’t call the govnm’t center because I didn’t even think of it. Now that you mentioned it – I will do that TODAY. Thank you for thinking of something I didn’t think of! You guys are great. I knew Yahoo! Answers would be helpful. I know I haven’t thought of everything I could do – and that’s why I came here. Thank you again for all your sugesstions, Please – keep them coming.

Seriously, what would possess someone to give a portion of their salary in order to build a huge expensive building in which to worship?

I understand giving, when it helps those less fortunate…when it is used to clothe the poor, feed the hungry, and care for the orphans, widows and children.

However, just knowing that the money you are giving to "God’s work" is simply paying for a large spire in the sky and bricks and mortar, possibly a basketball court, etc…how do you justify that as giving to God’s work?

Wouldn’t a simple structure large enough to house the parishoners, be all that God would construct? WWJD? Wouldn’t he just preach from a donated warehouse or building that an entrepreneur would loan, (probably for a tax write-off). Why do so many pastors and churches have to build bigger, more expensive buildings just to feed their ego?

….then why don’t we have the government confiscate ALL church property to pay for the 0 billion mortgage bail-out?

Surely the church and God would want to do thier part for the economy. Churches have been tax-exempt for too long. It’s time for them to start chipping in!

1) If they cannot live this month, how can they live next month when they will have to pay the interest as well?

2) And why is the government and churches not setting up cheap loan facilities for poor people, instead of obliging them to go to pawn brokers and loan sharks?

The church publishes financial information because of the law. They have over 0 million in savings right now for the 200,000 members. They only spend million a year on an income of million annually. So this gives them around 10 years of a cushion even if all members stopped paying tithing. But their policy anyways is to spend less then they make so they can easily lower expenses when they want. in addition, this is the income for that country only. Salt lake guarantees to support them financially if they are short.

Unlike most churches who are in the red every year with no savings. They either apply for loans or fire staff just to survive.
which part is unfounded?
Right. this is just for the UK. the same exact principles are applied everywhere.

With their 500%+ APRs and lame exploit of the usury of late fees?

Is it because priests and pastors no longer condemn the ‘sin’ of usury like they have in the past?

Is it because denominations are gullible and have become more so of late?

I find it laughably obvious that these organizations cut so deeply into the pockets of these church goers and therefore the ‘tithe’ profits of churches, and then these same churches turn around and declare war on atheists for it. Don’t tell me they don’t. Churches are more likely to go around looking for enemas when they need to stir the pot because their profits are down.

RETARDS.
got_air, look them up yourself, it isn’t worth the work to share it with a bunch of retards.

And if you choose to address the question of ongoing home foreclosures in the US, could you add what you think is the best way to approach this crisis "spiritually" ?

Is this a social and economic problem that the churches & mosques & synagogues should be handling, exclusively?

Is it a situation that a secular government should be handling, exclusively?

Is it a situation that people with "underwater" mortgages can only handle well if they’re Christians — or Jews — or Muslims — or atheists?

Or is it a problem requiring a mix of different approaches?

So my pastor just started his ministry a couple of months ago. And well he started this business selling slim fit body suits that compress your skin and make you look skinnier, and energy drinks that are designed to help you lose weight…

The lady who sold him the material told him she was a prophet of God, and that her husband was an apostle. She said she had 19 churches in Jamaica and 2 in America (She lives in the states)

Some things that should be noted

a) The lady travelled 2000 miles… to sell a 0 product to 15 people… If she is that poor where would she get the money to fly a plane to Jamaica every single year?

b) She lives in the states, so why would she have more churches in Jamaica then she does in America?

c) She said herself she cannot afford the mortgage on her house and yet she goes to Jamaica all the time?

d) She "prophesied" to my pastor that God would make him a millionaire through this business she was getting him involved in…

I asked my pastor "how do you know she is a real pastor?" and then my pastor said "NO!!! You take people at their word. No one has anything other than their word."

What do you think?

Let’s say preist gets 80K, mortgage is 2K/month, utilities are another 1K…let’s say it all comes to like 0,000/year to run the church, yet people leave their estate in their will to the church, big guys donate millions, people give 10% tiths…where does all the money go once all the bills are paid? Cuz when you’re in need they don’t pass out money, usually they ask other members to pitch in and help a needy member. This goes for synagogues/temples too. What about that Lakewood church that packs in tens of thousands of people each week, they are making millions.
No, I am not accusing him of anything and don’t know the specifics of his income, I just used it as an example. There is the Crystal Cathedral and many other large scale churches, but the preist at Saddleback church also doesn’t take a salary because he made millions off his book, I’m not talking about the money going to their salary, I’m ASKING where does the money go? especially as you pointed out if it doesn’t go to their income so there’s even more money I am aksing about where does it go?
My local places of worship advertise trips such as to the holy land but it costs usually up to K they never pick it up and I even backed out once bec they didn’t disclose the price until after everyone signed up.

My church recently sent me a letter that it cost them ,500.00 a week for us to have sunday mass.And that they wanted everyone to pay at least that for a pledge.And if you had to pay what you could pay then there was a minimum to that and it was ,000.00 per person per year.Thats what I pay on my mortgage a year. They needed the money to pay off ,000.00 on there building fund.And that they needed this to meet there match program that paid . for every of new money after the pledges were made.They also asked the people that made pledges already to up them 10% more.They closed by threatening to come to our houses if they couldn’t get it done.I thought that worshiping God was free. I don’t think that God ment for churches to threaten us like that. If you want a copy of letter to prove what I’m saying is true, then email: ath4554@embarqmail.com. and I will send it to you.

churches and temples be empty this weekend?